Infatuation is an Affliction
by punkfunkdisco
Summary: Pacey/Joey. A little character study into Pacey's feelings between 'To Green, With Love' and 'A Cinderella Story'. Beta-read by LJ user thinkpink20.


"No way, Pacey, I am _not_ obsessed!" She shook her head defiantly, pony-tail swinging; relaxed her face too much in an attempt at casualness and quickened her pace ever so slightly.

"Oh, I beg to differ, Jo." His hands gesticulated wildly. "It's 'AJ this, AJ that' all the time these days! As your friend, I feel it's my duty to inform you that," he conspiratorially leaned closer to her, "it's getting a bit boring."

Joey stopped abruptly in the middle of the crowded street full of Saturday shoppers and narrowed her eyes at Pacey. "Well I didn't ask you to follow me down the street annoying me. If you don't like my conversational choices you know what you can do." She continued to glare at him, but all Pacey could do was grin. It was a grin that lit up not only his face, but everything in a ten metre radius around him. He couldn't help grinning, her pouting defensiveness had that affect on him. After a few seconds he continued walking.

"I'm just sayin', Jo, there's more to life." Joey reluctantly fell into step beside him. "The guy had the nerve to make fun of _my_ name? 'AJ' sounds like some kind of football player and yet he looks - in fact he _is -_ a complete nerd!"

"Just because he reads a few books?"

"Hey, I read books!"

"Comic books don't count, Pacey," Joey dead-panned. Pacey laughed and shook his head as she continued, "Anyway, I have to find an outfit for this reading and unless you want to accompany me while I spend two hours trying on the hideous dresses that our little town's three shops have to offer, I suggest we part here."

"Two hours?! You'd look good in a garbage bag, Jo." The grin again. Joey blushed a little at the compliment, but refused to let him see the effect of his words. She cocked her head at him pointedly. "I'm goin', I'm goin'!" He held his hands up in defeat. "The 'True Love' needs some love anyway."

"'Bye, Pacey."

"'See ya around, Potter."

She turned and disappeared into the crowd that was milling up and down the street and he watched her walk away from him, like she always did – physically and metaphorically. He stayed for a few moments and then turned and made his way to the boat yard.

*

Pacey had no idea where these feelings had come from.

Although in all honesty that was a lie.

The winter sun was cold but bright, giving the day a mocking cheerfulness as Pacey squinted in the glare. He rubbed hard at the outside of his boat, as if sanding away the old paint could sand away his thoughts of her. The sanding was actually pretty much all done and he didn't really need to be continuing with it, but the rhythmic motion was oddly cathartic. He was going over the bits she had done, because whilst Joey would definitely go on to do many brilliant things in her life, boat restoration probably wouldn't be one of them.

This was so very different from anything he'd felt before, but that was just another excuse to put his desires in a small box and hide them at the back of his mind. Not only was the prospect of verbalising his feelings really, really wrong - for so many reasons, but the obvious one being Dawson - it also scared the hell out of him.

He'd been aware of his mounting feelings; had sensed them. Sure, they'd been slow and steady in formulating, but he definitely knew. The tentative way in which they'd built up had just allowed him to ignore them. He'd been able to pretend they were something else; deny them, make excuses. Every trick in the book: he'd used it.

At the moment it was all about how much he loved being with her. About how he felt such a glow of warmth and goodness when he was around her; well, when she wasn't berating him for another act of idiocy on his part. When he said goodbye to her, all he could think about was when he could see her next; could he think of an excuse to go over? Did they have any classes together tomorrow? When might she be at her locker? Could he accidentally bump into her? Maybe there'd be some minor disaster at the B&B, a burst water pipe maybe, and she'd call him and he'd fix it?

Pacey threw down his sanding block in frustration. It was no use. What could he do? Nothing? Something? Either option led to some kind of disaster for his sanity or his friendships, but something that both scared him and forced the realisation that this was serious was that he could envision a real future with Joey. Maybe not immediately, maybe not for a few years, but eventually.

He let out a bitter, frustrated sigh, picked up the block and continued rubbing.


End file.
